Final UI improvements

A good amount of time has passed since the last devlog, but we’re back with some updates. The main area that was missing for the game to be complete was the UI, so this update focuses on making improvements to it.

Improvements

We made various updates across the game to enhance the overall experience:

• Fonts: We added new fonts that better match the game’s Japanese aesthetic, along with other fonts for improved legibility.
• Image Quality: Improved the quality of images throughout the game, from menu buttons to in-game characters and weapons.
• Colors: Updated the highlight colors on text and buttons to make interactions more noticeable.
• Text: Improved English in several places to enhance clarity and readability.

In-Game UI

Here’s a look at how the in-game screen looked before the update:

To improve it, we made the following changes:

• Added a top bar to display important information that was previously shown as text in the corners of the screen.
• Moved the repeat and back buttons to the bottom right corner.
• Added a ball behind the remaining weapons counter, making the number of weapons left more visible.
• Made the weapon outlines always visible, ensuring the weapons are more easily recognizable.

Here’s the updated result:

Level Select

Here’s how the level select screen looked before the update:

To improve it, we implemented the following changes:

• Added a subtle overlay to make the screen appear lighter.
• Introduced a top panel to group multiple elements, making information easier to read.
• Simplified the level selection by hiding unnecessary details and showing only the relevant level info.
• Added a contrasting background block behind the level information to increase legibility.

Here’s how the screen looks now:

Next Steps

With these changes, the UI is looking much more polished. The game feels smoother, is easier to navigate, and overall, looks more refined.

The next step is to prepare for the final release of the game. For now I removed the previous demo from itch.io and will begin working on Steam integration (achievements, stats, cloud saves).

Additionally, I’ll do further playtesting to ensure everything runs smoothly. My goal is to release the final version of the game on both Steam and itch between March and April next year.

In the meantime, I’ve set up a Steam page for the game. Feel free to wishlist it and stay updated!